In fact, the crowd gave up the usual classical music formal protocol of not clapping between movements during this concerto because enthusiasms were running so high and perhaps because it did seem jazz-appropriate.

Carter alternated between alto and soprano saxophones in four movements: Ritmico (“rhythmic” translated from Spanish); Tender; Playful; and a finale of Fast, with Swing.

Here is what Carter has to say about how he got hooked on Sax—

James Carter hails from Detroit and this concerto was commissioned by the Detroit Symphony for James Carter from Roberto Sierra to showcase Carter’s ability to marry classical and jazz elements. In the program Carter is quoted as saying, “You have to be totally comfortable wherever. I think there’s tremendous beauty in cross-pollinations of music and influences.”

For those of us who are curious about Carter’s more pure jazz sound, there are many clips on youtube such as this one—

In the program the composer, Sierra, is also quoted, “When one thinks of a Saxophone Concerto the sounds and rhythms of jazz are immediately conjured. This was the case for me when I sat down to sketch the Concerto for Saxophones and Orchestra. ..The element of improvisation was very important for me when I was writing the piece, and improvisatory passages appear in different guises: some consist of lines inspired by jazz improvisations that are fully notated; some are limited improvisations in which the soloist is given a pattern to repeat independent of the rest of the ensemble or a melodic line to be improvised upon; and some are freely improvised, in which the soloist fully improvises the line using materials from the work itself.”